Public Works (Mr. Perrell) delivered a refresher on San Juan County’s road classifications, maintenance obligations and the procedures to accept or reclassify roads. He said the county maintains 742 road miles (about 1,490 lane miles) with 58 full-time positions in related functions; 245 miles are paved and 497 remain unpaved.

Perrell described three categories: County-maintained (full maintenance, blue-and-gold signage), Lesser County Maintained (eligible for an initial gravel application and twice-yearly blading; excludes many full services), and Non-County Maintained (NCM; red-and-white signage, no county maintenance). He noted 395 miles are currently designated NCM and explained common public confusion when rural addressing creates a road number without constituting accepted county maintenance.

Reclassification requires a formal application (appendix A/C of the road policy) with environmental assessment, construction inspection records, and engineer certification; applicants bear those costs. The county may also use special-assessment/county improvement districts, which require property-owner participation (two-thirds by assessed value in many cases) to fund improvements and repay via assessments or bonds.

Commissioners asked about specific examples, the frequency of maintenance for LCM roads, the practical need to add gravel over time, and whether any industry roads or well-site roads were included; Perrell said most NCM roads are residential. The presentation concluded with an invitation to applicants to follow the policy and to staff to bring qualifying roads forward for conditional or full acceptance.